LILBURN, Ga. – The Fort Hays State women’s basketball team moved up three spots in the receiving votes category of the latest WBCA NCAA Division II Coaches’ Poll, released Wednesday (Dec. 21) by the organization. The Tigers picked up 21 points in the voting process, good for the 10th spot among those also receiving votes, up from five points and the 13th position in the category last week.

It is the third time the Tigers have been recognized in the poll this season, reaching as high as 25th in the poll after their 6-0 start.

Fort Hays State is joined in the polls by four other MIAA schools, making it the best-represented conference in the poll. No other league has more than three teams listed in the latest rankings. Pittsburg State and Emporia State held their positions in third and fifth, respectively. Central Oklahoma jumped into the top 25 for the first time this year after a 10-0 start, sitting in 19th heading into the break. Central Missouri is also listed in the “others receiving votes” category, two slots behind the Tigers.

Fort Hays State will look to wrap up a perfect 9-0 non-conference record after the holiday break when they host Kansas Christian on New Year’s Eve. First tip is set for 2 p.m. inside Gross Memorial Coliseum.

Below is the WBCA Division II Top 25 Coaches’ Poll for December 13, 2016.

Others Receiving Votes: Minnesota State-Moorhead (9-1) 42; Regis, CO (10-1) 34; Saint Mary’s, TX (10-2) 30; Limestone (7-3) 28; Caldwell (10-2) 26; Queens, NY (9-3) 26; Saginaw Valley State (8-2) 26; North Alabama (9-0) 26; Eckerd (9-2) 24; Fort Hays State (10-2) 21; West Texas A&M (8-4) 13; Central Missouri (10-1) 12; Adelphi (9-2) 11; Chowan (10-2) 8; Simon Fraser (10-2) 5; Anderson, SC (8-2) 4; Glenville State (9-1) 4; Point Loma Nazarene (9-2) 4.

BROOKFIELD, Ill. – Fort Hays State had five players named to the Don Hansen All-Super Region 3 Team on Tuesday (Dec. 20). First team selections went to Sie Doe, Jr. at defensive end and Raheeme Dumas at cornerback. Second team selections went to Nathan Shepherd at defensive tackle and Alex Schmidtberger at linebacker. Third team honors went to Shaquille Cooper at running back.

Doe adds another honor to his long list accumulated for the 2016 season. The senior was also an All-Super Region 3 First Team pick by the D2CCA and named its Defensive Player of the Year. Doe has already been tabbed an All-America First Team selection by the AFCA, D2CCA, and Associated Press. Doe was also the MIAA Defensive Player of the Year, finishing the year with 15 sacks, 19.5 tackles for loss, 81 tackles overall, and five forced fumbles.

Dumas adds a second All-Super Region 3 honor to his collection this season after a second team selection by the D2CCA. Dumas was also an All-MIAA First Team selection. His six interceptions in 2016 was one shy of the single-season record at FHSU. Add in seven pass break-ups and he finished with 13 passes defended for the season. He had 36 tackles for the season.

Shepherd earns the first All-Super Region honor of his career with a second-team selection this season. The junior finished with 61 tackles, three sacks, 9.5 tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles this year. He is a two-time All-MIAA selection, earning second team honors this year.

Schmidtberger earns the first All-Super Region honor of his career. The senior is a second-team selection at linebacker after posting a team-best 143 tackles with 1.5 sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss. Schmidtberger finished second all-time in tackles for the NCAA Division II era at FHSU with 353, just eight shy of the record.

Cooper earned All-Super Region 3 honors from Don Hansen for the second straight year. The junior earned third team honors this year after a second team nod last year. Cooper finished the year with 971 rushing yards, 420 receiving yards, and 126 kick return yards for a total of 1,517 all-purpose yards. Cooper has 3,993 all-purpose yards in his career at FHSU to rank fourth in school history. His 2,768 career rushing yards ranks sixth in school history.

2016 Don Hansen All-Super Region 3 Team

FHSU Sports Information

HAYS, Kan. – Tatyana Legette recorded her third double-double of the season and the Fort Hays State defense forced 26 turnovers in an 84-55 win over Midland (Neb.) Monday at Gross Coliseum. Legette led four Tigers (10-2) in double-figures with 12 points and 10 rebounds, helping FHSU to their fourth straight win.

Tony Hobson Postgame Interview

Sarah Pimentel Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

Kacey Kennett and Jill Faxon both scored 11 and Taylor Chandler added 10 points helping the Tigers overcome 2-for-22 shooting from beyond the arc. Faxon scored the first basket of the game for the Tigers and became the 18th player in Tiger history to score 1,000 in a career how with 1,010.

The Warriors (9-4) used an 11-0 run to build a six-point second quarter lead. The Tigers would score the final four points of the frame to go up four at halftime. They scored the first six points of the third quarter to push the lead to 10. It was part of a 22-4 run which saw their lead grow to 24 late in the third. They would lead by as many as 32 in the fourth.

Joelle Overkamp led Midland with 16 points, all of them coming in the first half.

HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State head softball coach Adrian Pilkington announced the addition of seven new members to the 2018 squad. All eight of the early signees will be freshmen with six from Colorado, one from Arizona, and one from Kansas. The commitments include Megan Jamison, Grace Philop, Sara Breckbill, Terran Caldwell, Sydney Harsh, Jordan Flakus and Sierra Rodriguez.

Jamison is from Fort Collins, Colo., where she was a CHSAA Class 5A All-State Honorable Mention selection in 2016. During her senior season at Fossil Ridge High School, she batted .463 and had an on-base percentage of .478. As a pitcher she tallied 18 of her team’s 19 wins on the year, while striking out 118 batters.

Philop is also from Fossil Ridge High School. She has been an all-conference selection the last three years and helped the Lobos to the Class 5A state semifinals this fall. Philip is projected to play outfield at FHSU.

From Parker, Colo., Breckbill is a catcher with an electrifying arm. While at Chaparral High School, she threw out 20 of 24 potential base stealers for an outstanding .833 percent. In her four years playing for the Wolverines, she posted a .374 batting average, totaling 89 hits, while knocking in 73 runs. She was a two-time CHSAA Class 5A All-State Honorable Mention selection earning the honors both her junior and senior seasons, as well as a four-time all-conference selection.

Caldwell is from Grandview High School in Aurora, Colo. In her four years playing for the Wolves she has posted a batting average of .355, an on-base percentage of .401, and 77 hits while scoring 70 runs. This past season Caldwell hit .450, had an on-base percentage of .506, and scored 31 runs on 36 hits in her senior season. For her efforts she was granted CHSAA Class 5A All-State Honorable Mention honors.

Harsh will join the Tigers from Arvada, Colo., where she was an outfielder for Ralston Valley High School.  She had an outstanding defensive senior season in the field without committing an error all season. She is a two-time all-conference selection.

Flakus is from Eudora, Kan, where she attends Eudora High School. Flakus has been a three-time all-conference selection for the Cardinals and was selected to the KSHSAA Class 4A All-State First Team as an infielder in 2016.

From Phoenix, Ariz., Rodriguez played her club ball for the Lil’ Saints and the Hot Shotz, two of the top amateur programs in the state of Arizona. Rodriguez is projected to be a pitcher for the Tigers will chip in with her bat as well.

FHSU Sports Information

Sie Doe, Jr. added a third All-America First Team honor to his collection as the Associated Press named its Little All-America Team for the 2016 season. The team combines the top players from NCAA Divisions II and III and the NAIA.

Doe has already been tabbed as an All-America First Team selection by the AFCA and D2CCA. He was named D2CCA Super Region 3 Defensive Player of the Year and MIAA Defensive Player of the Year as well. He is just the third FHSU player in history to earn First Team honors from the AP, joining linebacker Brock Long from last year and quarterback Shawn Behr from 1995. Doe, however, is the first FHSU player in history to receive All-America First Team honors from at least three organizations in the same season.

Doe had 15 sacks, 19.5 tackles for loss, and 81 tackles for the season. He tied for second nationally in forced fumbles with five for the season. The 15 sacks for Doe set a new single-season school record, while he tied the FHSU career record of 21.5 also held by Trevell Smittick (1997-99). Over two years at FHSU, Doe amassed 151 tackles, 34.5 tackles for loss, 21.5 sacks, and eight forced fumbles. He was an All-MIAA selection both years.

FHSU Sports Information

FIRST TEAM

OFFENSE

Running backs — Marty Carter, sophomore, 6-0, 202, Grand Valley State; Trevor Heitland, senior, 5-11, 196, Coe.

Linemen — Jordan Morgan, senior, 6-4, 320, Kutztown; Zach Voytek, senior, 6-5, 300, New Haven (Conn.); Nate Theaker, senior, 6-6, 300, Wayne State; Peter Bateman, senior, 6-6, 285, Minnesota Duluth; Brooks Jenkins, senior, 6-4, 285, Mount Union.

Receivers — Garry Brown, senior, 6-1, 200, California (Pa.); Matt Heller, senior, 6-0, 195, Augustana; Koree Reed, junior, 6-1, 185, Hartwick.

All-purpose player — Keelan Cole, senior, 6-2, 175, Kentucky Wesleyan.

Kicker — Matt Davis, senior, 6-1, 190, North Carolina Pembroke.

DEFENSE

Linemen — John Flood, senior, 6-3, 243, Wisconsin-Whitewater; Lucky Baar, senior, 6-2, 250, McKendree; Sie Doe, Jr., senior, 6-1, 230, Fort Hays State; Collin Bevins, senior, 6-6, 285, Northwest Missouri State.

Linebackers — Carter Hanson, junior, 5-10, 190, St. John’s (Minn.); Osband Thompson, junior, 6-0, 194, Tuskegee; Tyke Kozeal, senior, 6-0, 240, Nebraska-Kearney.

Backs — Baylor Mullins, senior, 5-9, 190, Mary Hardin-Baylor; Philbert Martial, senior, 5-10, 166, North Alabama; Matt McKoy, senior, 6-2, 212, Saginaw Valley State; Drew Hebel, sophomore, 5-11, 172, Black Hills State;

Punter — Aaron LaDeaux, senior, 6-2, 193, Minot State.
SECOND TEAM

OFFENSE

Quarterback — Kyle Zimmerman, senior, Northwest Missouri State.

Running backs — Austin Ekeler, senior, Western State; Chazz Middlebrook, sophomore, MacMurray.

Linemen — Stephen Evans, senior, North Alabama; Antoni Green, senior, Sioux Falls; Peter Gibson, senior, Wheaton; Alex Cappa, junior, Humboldt State; Jared Machorro, junior, Texas A&M Commerce.

Receivers — Xavier Ayers, senior, Western New Mexico; Damon Gibson, junior, Minnesota State (Moorhead); Jesse Zubik, junior, Washington & Jefferson;

All-purpose player — TJ Brown, senior, Sterling.

Kicker — Will Gingery, senior, Wittenberg.

DEFENSE

Linemen — Teidrick Smith, senior, Mary Hardin-Baylor; Whitney Richardson, junior, Lane; Dylan Donahue, senior, West Georgia; Marcus Martin, junior, Slippery Rock.

Linebackers — Matt Barnes, senior, Monmouth (Ill.); Alden Mann, senior, Wayland Baptist; Cody Burtscher, senior, Tarelton, State.

Backs — Joshua Simmons, junior, Limestone; Michael Alada, senior, St. Thomas (Minn.); Jared Chester, junior, LIU-Post; Raheem Wilson, senior, Southeastern Oklahoma.
THIRD TEAM
OFFENSE

Quarterback — Sam Riddle, senior, Linfield.

Running backs — Michael Anderson, senior, West Virginia Wesleyan; Dayton Winn, senior, Hendrix.

Linemen — Chase Sherman, senior, Northwest Missouri State; Lavonte Hights, junior, Shepherd; Aaron Cox, senior, Grand Valley State; Jake Daugherty, junior, Ferris State; Trevor Meyer, senior, Thomas More (Ky.).

Receivers — Brody Oliver, junior, Colorado School of Mines; Shawn Self, senior, Lock Haven; Dan Arnold, senior, Wisconsin-Platteville.

All-purpose player — Marcel Newson, senior, Mississippi College.

Kicker — Cole Antley, sophomore, Ouachita Baptist.

DEFENSE

Linemen — Victor Hudson, senior, Edinboro; Zach Sieler, sophomore, Ferris State; Sydeney Omameh, senior, Grand Valley State; Ray Edwards, senior, Wingate.

Linebackers — A.J. LiCata, junior, Alfred; Reese Dziedzic, senior, Wisconsin-Oshkosh; Eddrick Harris, senior, North Alabama.

Backs — Jay Watkins, junior, Indiana (Pa.); Jovon Dawson, senior, John Carroll; Kevin Berg, senior, Northwest Missouri State; Tavierre Thomas, junior, Ferris State.

BOULDER, Colo. – Rob Davis set a new Coors Events Center record for points in a half, but Fort Hays State was outscored by 22 points at the free throw line and lost 81-71 to Colorado Saturday afternoon. The game was an exhibition for the Tigers (7-4) but counts for the Buffaloes (8-3).

Mark Johnson Postgame Interview

Rob Davis Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

Davis, who didn’t score in the first half, had 29 in the second half which broke the old CEC record for points in a half of 28 held by Cory Higgins of Colorado against Colorado State in 2008 and Tony Dumas of Missouri-Kansas City against the Buffs in 1994.

Davis hit 11 of his 16 second half shots including seven of eight from beyond the arc. He fueled a 17-4 second half run which saw the Tigers cut a 21-point deficit to eight with 14:46 to play. Colorado answered with a 12-2 run which pushed the lead to 18. The Tigers cut the gap to nine with 2:55 to play but would not get any closer.

The Tigers shot 58-percent as a team in the second half including 7-of-13 from beyond the arc. They finished at 40-percent for the game and held the Buffs to 43-percent but Colorado hit 13 of their 18 first half free throws and were 31-for-41 for the game.

Fort Hays State missed their first eight shots and hit only one of their first 15 and fell behind 18-2 less then eight minutes in. They made several small runs to pull within 10 but trailed by 17 at the half.

Hadley Gillum added 15 points for the Tigers and JaQuan Smith pulled down a game-high eight rebounds to go along with his six points.

Xavier Johnson, Josh Fortune and Deleon Brown all scored 15 for Colorado. Derrick White, a two-time Division II All-American at CU-Colorado Springs, was held to 10, over five points below his average.

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

HAYS, Kan. – Rob Davis had his fourth 30 point game of the season and Fort Hays State used hot shooting and a dominant second half to beat Bethel College 102-63 Wednesday night at Gross Coliseum. The Tigers (7-4), who shot 68-percent in the second half and 57-percent for the game, scored the first 12 points of the second half to build a 17-point lead and controlled the game the rest of the way.

Mark Johnson Postgame Interview

Hadley Gillum Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

The Tigers used a 15-3 run to go up by 12 midway through the first half but the Threshers (9-5) answered with a 13-2 to run to pull within one with 5:06 left in the half. Lake Reed fueled a 10-2 Tiger run which pushed the lead back to nine and FHSU led by five at halftime.

Davis hit six 3-pointers and scored 30. Hadley Gillum recorded his third double-double of the season with 18 points and 11 rebounds while Lake Reed added a career-high 15 points.

Deven Goodwin led Bethel with 26 points, 20 of them in the first half.

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

HAYS, Kan. – Jill Faxon scored 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead Fort Hays State to a 71-38 victory over Tabor College Wednesday at Gross Coliseum. Kacey Kennett added 13 points,Emma Stroyan 11 and Tatyana Leggette 10 to lead the Tigers (9-2) to their third straight win.

Tony Hobson Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

Kennett hit a pair of 3-pointers to fuel 1 12-2 second quarter run which pushed the Tigers lead to 13. FHSU then outscored the Bluejays, ranked 20th in NAIA Division II, 18-4 in the third quarter.

Faxon broke out of a recent shooting slump and now has 999 career points.

After being held below 30-percent shooting in the last three games, the Tigers hit 44-percent against Tabor including 51-percent in the second half.

Fort Hays State defensive end Sie Doe, Jr. was named to the D2CCA All-America First Team as a defensive lineman on Wednesday (Dec. 14). Doe now has two All-America First Team selections this season after receiving the same distinction from the AFCA. The D2CCA All-America Team is voted on by sports information directors across the nation.

Doe was one of four finalists for D2CCA National Defensive Player of the Year, but the honor went to fellow first team defensive lineman Lucky Baar of McKendree University. Baar finished the year with 17.5 sacks and 21.5 tackles for loss, while recording 55 tackles. Doe had 15 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss, but made 26 more tackles than Baar with 81 for the season. Doe tied for second nationally in forced fumbles with five for the season, while Baar had two. Both Doe and Baar are also considered two of the top defensive linemen in the country by coaches as both were AFCA First Team All-America selections.

The 15 sacks for Doe set a new single-season school record, while he tied the FHSU career record of 21.5 also held by Trevell Smittick (1997-99).

Earlier this season, Doe was named the D2CCA Super Region 3 Defensive Player of the Year and the MIAA Defensive Player of the Year. Over two years at FHSU, Doe amassed 151 tackles, 34.5 tackles for loss, 21.5 sacks, and eight forced fumbles. He was an All-MIAA selection both years.

2016 D2CCA All-America Football Team

FHSU Sports Information

Following a record-setting season, the Fort Hays State women’s soccer team will have a new coach in 2017. Head coach Craig Shaw has accepted the head coaching position at Division I Texas A&M-Corpus Christi where he will start January 2nd.

Shaw, who is the program’s first and only head coach, guided the Tigers to a 66-44-11 overall record in his six seasons including a 15-5-3 mark this season which included a trip to the NCAA II quarterfinals.

Under Shaw, the Tigers made two NCAA II tournament appearances, four trips to the MIAA Tournament and won their only MIAA regular season title this past fall.

Shaw will take assistant coach Hunter Nail with him to Corpus Christi.

LILBURN, Georgia – After defeating the top-ranked team in the country to wrap up a perfect 2-0 week, the Fort Hays State women’s basketball team was listed in the receiving votes category of the newly-updated WBCA Division II Top 25 Coaches’ Poll, released Tuesday afternoon (Dec. 13) by the organization.

The Tigers picked up two crucial victories over in-state rivals last week, impressing enough coaches to put them back on the ballot. FHSU received a total of five points in the balloting process.

It was the second time FHSU has been mentioned in the poll after being ranked 25th following a 6-0 start to the season.

Two other MIAA schools join the Tigers in the poll, with Pittsburg State climbing one spot to third and Emporia State falling to fifth. This is the final poll the WBCA will release before the holiday break.

The Tigers will continue their seven-game home stand Wednesday (Dec. 14) when they host Tabor College at 5:30 p.m.

Below is the WBCA Division II Top 25 Coaches’ Poll for December 13, 2016.

Others Receiving Votes: Saint Mary’s, TX (8-1) 45; Anderson, SC (6-1) 44; Johnson C. Smith (7-2) 35; Saginaw Valley State (7-2) 30; Central Oklahoma (9-0) 30; Claflin (7-2) 24; Newberry (6-2) 16; West Florida (5-1) 9; Caldwell (9-1) 8; Lander (4-2) 8; Nova Southeastern (7-2) 8; North Georgia (8-1) 8; Fort Hays State (8-2) 5; Point Loma Nazarene (7-2) 4.

FHSU Sports Information

INDIANAPOLIS – Fort Hays State wrestling moved up to No. 18 in the Division II Wrestling Coaches Association poll released on Monday. Fort Hays State was tied for the No. 25 spot in the preseason poll. The Tigers are one of three MIAA schools in the national rankings as Nebraska-Kearney sits at No. 5 and Central Oklahoma is No. 14.

In the individual rankings Jon Inman held steady as the No. 4 wrestler at 197 pounds. He is the only Tiger to remain undefeated this season at 14-0. He suffered an injury setback at the Bob Smith Open and looks to return to the lineup when ready.

A new addition to the individual rankings is Tiger 141-pounder Brandon Ball, who is tabbed seventh in the nation. The redshirt-freshman is putting together an outstanding season thus far at 19-3 overall. Ball has been hot of late for FHSU winning 12 of his last 13 matches.

Here is a link to the latest rankings.

D2 Wrestling Rankings (Dec. 12, 2016)

FHSU Sports Information